Obituaries
ABE POSEN
With deep sadness, we are sorry to announce the passing of Abe Posen, father, grandfather, great grandfather and uncle, on August 10th at the Grace Hospital.
He was three weeks short of his 102nd birthday. Abe was a quiet man with a never-ending sense of humour that paved his way in the world. He was strong on the outside, soft on the inside, full of humility and easily embarrassed if you put the spotlight on him.
Abe was born to Gittel nee Gurarie (Gray) and Mayer Posen in Winnipeg on Sept. 3rd, 1921. During the war he was stationed in Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. As his first language was Yiddish he corresponded with his parents in Yiddish and the letters would often arrive with words cut out. Who knew that the RCAF had Yiddish speaking censors? Abe was a dedicated family man who also enjoyed his extended circle of uncles, aunts and cousins.
He grew up in a small 2-bedroom house on Burrows, where his parents took in boarders to help supplement their income. The boarders slept in the dining room behind a curtain. They were teachers from Peretz Shul who had recently arrived from pre-war Europe, or sometimes his cousins who came from the country for extended stays. There’s no doubt it taught him about giving, sharing and reaching out to help people in need.
We loved hearing the stories of his youth filled with characters both Jewish and Gentile and how living in the old North End, was like living in Eastern Europe. His early working career except for a stint as a bike delivery boy, was spent working for the family enterprises such as his uncle Motel’s Whistle bottling plant, later to become Blackwood Beverages and his Uncle Moishe’s (Morris Gray) travel agency.
In 1948, he married our beloved mum Ruth Dvorchik and their first of two sons, Eric came along in 1950. At the same time, Abe began his studies to become a Chartered Accountant and went on to work for the firm Sandell Peltz. He eventually left to work for the Federal Government and ended his career as the Chief Auditor for Special Projects for the Province of Manitoba. Abe also kept a private accountancy business going and his clients consisted mostly of Jewish newcomers who ran grocery stores and small shops. He helped them when they went through financial hardships, by lowering his fee or not charging them.
In his spare time, he was President of the Brandeis Lodge and was a lifelong member of the YMHA serving on the Board of Directors and Governors. His passion was exercising, a habit that started at the ‘Y’ as a teen on Albert Street. He loved weightlifting and competed in the sport. He was also a mentor to younger lifters and loved to teach and encourage them.
Abe had a knack for often winning contests. We thought he had great luck, but when we asked him, “What’s your secret”, he said, “You have to enter!”
He took great pride in his grandchildren’s accomplishments and would ask daily, if there were new photos of Lielle, his one and only great granddaughter in Israel. When you’re lucky enough to have a parent live a long healthy life, despite getting covid three times, their presence can’t help but bring blessings to the family. To feel their love, drink in their wisdom and learn about family history is a joy that was shared by three generations of his family. It hurts to say goodbye, but Abe’s legacy of love, humour and gratitude for life is an ever-present inspiration to us all.
Our thanks to the pallbearers, Ariel Posen, Michel Aziza, Lexie and Ken Zimmer, David Gurvey and Darcy Delbridge, plus our thanks to Abe’s regular home care workers who respected him and gave him the best care they could under trying circumstances, as well as the staff and physicians of 4North at the Grace Hospital. Please donate to the Rady Centre (the ‘Y’) or the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
MARILYN ABOSH
It is with great sadness we announce the passing of Marilyn, on April 29. Marilyn was predeceased by her parents Dave & Eva.
Left to cherish her memory are her younger brothers Allan (Leslie) and Harold (Elizabeth), niece Dory (David) her children Coleman & Ryan; nephew Paul and his children Dovid and Eden. She also leaves to mourn many cousins and extended family and friends.
Marilyn was born in Winnipeg, and grew up in the North End. Marilyn shared a home full of love and Jewish Traditions. She was a warm, kind & gentle person with a strong will & spirit that touched the lives of those who knew her. She was challenged with cerebral palsy at birth which stole her dream of becoming a nurse, however she was able to live independently on her own.
Marilyn was willing to try many things in life and her greatest joy was when she discovered the benefit of tai chi and through her 15 years of practice she became an “assistant instructor for beginners”. We were all so proud when Marilyn passed the St. John’s Ambulance First Aid Emergency Course and in 2006 was awarded the “MLA Red River Award” for the volunteer work performed at the Gwen Secter Creative Living Centre.
Since 2011, Marilyn found joy in helping the staff at the Saul & Claribel Simkin Center where she had resided and emerged as the “Resident Artist”. A special thanks to the staff at Weinberg 3 at the Simkin Centre who showed their kindness & compassion to Marilyn over the years.
A graveside service was held May 2, at the Hebrew Sick Benefit Cemetery.
We love & miss you Marilyn.
Obituaries
FAYGEE HARRIET HECHT (née YUFFE)
It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Faygee Hecht on April 15, 2024. Faygee was born on September 3, 1954 to parents, Louis and Elsie Yuffe. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her husband, Phil, and sister-in- law, Maddy. Left to mourn her passing are: partner, Rob Irvine; siblings, Howard Yuffe, Stephen (Randie) Yuffe, Corky (Stephen) Rosenfield, Debbie (Abe) Braverman; her nieces and nephews, Lee, Rebekah, Sharla, Lorne, Erin, Lana; the “greats”, Cayla, Hannah and Jake, Charley and Ben, Saul and Louis, Adam; Rob’s family, Rupert and Nicole (Michael, Zizza, Trevor), Victoria; extended family and friends. Whatever job or project Faygee took on, it was done 100%. Faygee was very involved at the Etz Chayim Synagogue. She was truly a “minyannaire extraordinaire”. Faygee was always worrying about others before herself. This one of a kind essence was captured in eulogies by Rabbi Rose, Rebekah and Erin and her friends, AnnaGail and Faina. Thank you. Thank you to the compassionate and caring staff of the Grace Hospital ICU. Faygee was laid to rest on April 17th at the Hebrew Sick Cemetery. Thank you to pallbearers: Sean, Lee, Gavin, Jared, Royle, Benji, Harlan and Morgan. Donations in memory of Faygee can be made to the charity of your choice.
Obituaries
Lorraine Norma Reiner (nee Reich)
It is with deep sorrow that the family of Lorraine Reiner announces the passing of our mother and baba after a difficult battle with pancreatic cancer. She is survived by her children, Marlaina (Hillel) and Susan (Wil), her grandchildren, Sarah (Justin), Jordana (Blake), and Micah, and her great grandson, Elias. She was predeceased by her parents Rose and Sam, her husband Barry, her brother Max, her son Sam, and her granddaughters June and Beth.
Lorraine, at her core, was a loving caregiver. Lor-raine‘s father died when she was only eight years old. She grew up helping her mother with household and family chores after her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer. She cared for her mother-in-law, husband, and cousin during their battles with ill-nesses and final stages of life.
We remember Lorraine as a woman whose love for her family knew no limits. She adored her children and grandchildren and formed special bonds with each of them. Her family was everything to her, and she meant the world to her family. She stepped into the role of Baba Lorraine with open arms and an enormous heart; there was nothing she wouldn’t do for her children and grandchildren. Lorraine was surrounded by her family during her final stage of life.
Cooking was an important part of Lorraine’s identi-ty. She was most famous for her chicken soup and S-cookies and she loved to spread joy and comfort through sharing her cooking with others. She always had a freezer stocked with homemade meals and anytime a family member felt unwell, she was at the ready with a batch of “Jewish penicillin”.
Lorraine had a diverse and eclectic resume that in-cluded office work for all three Jewish Newspapers, including The Jewish Post, The Western Jewish News, and The Yiddeshe Vort. Later she worked as office staff at Joseph Wolinsky Collegiate and As-troid Management. Her final job was an 11-year tenure as a clerk for the City of Winnipeg’s Assess-ment Department.
Lorraine loved sharing stories with everyone and had a special way of getting lost in a story. Any-one who had the pleasure of listening to one of Lor-raine’s stories knows how her mood instantly lit up when she had the opportunity to share. Her stories, alongside her recipes, will live on through her loved ones.
The funeral was held at the Chesed Shel Emes on Tuesday March 26, followed by a burial service at the Shaarey Zedek Cemetery. Pallbearers were Blake Nichols, Justin Odwak, Cal & Asher Reich, Brian Rosenberg, Wil Scheiring, Sean Smith, and Micah Sommer. Honorary pallbearers were Mickey Rosenberg & Alan Schweid.
The family wishes to thank the numerous health-care staff who participated in Lorraine’s care over the past couple of months, especially the wonderful staff at the Health Sciences Centre H3 surgical unit, Drs. Bubis, Goldenberg, Lipschitz, Shell, and Visser.
